Determination of candidate vaccine targets, clonal complexes, and antimicrobial resistance by whole genome sequencing of invasive Group B Streptococci in children below one year of age from Denmark, 2000-2023

We have comprehensively characterized invasive Group B Streptococcus (GBS) strains responsible for early-onset disease (EOD), late-onset disease (LOD), and ultra-late-onset disease (ULOD) in Denmark from 2000 to 2023. Utilizing whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and an automated bioinformatics pipeline, we identified potential GBS vaccine targets, determined multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), clonal complexes (CCs), and assessed the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles. Additionally, we analyzed the presence of various GBS virulence genes.